If you have asked three web designers for a price, you probably got three very different answers and no clear reason why. That is normal. “A website” can mean a one-page business card or a site with a quote form, a chat assistant and a page for every town you serve.
This article explains what moves the price and how the common pricing models work, so you can compare quotes fairly. It does not quote a “typical” market price, because we have no source we trust for one.
What drives the price
How much is built for you. A template with your logo swapped in takes less work than a design made around your business. More pages (one per service, one per town) take more work too.
Who writes the words and finds the photos. If you hand over real facts and photos, that is cheaper than a designer writing everything and arranging photography.
What the site has to do. A phone number is simple. A quote form that sends requests to your phone and email, an assistant that answers after hours, or online booking each add work.
Who looks after it afterward. Hosting, security updates, small edits (new hours, a new service) and reports are ongoing work. Someone does them, and someone pays for them, even if it is you in your spare time.
Who owns what. Ask who owns your domain name, your text and your photos. This does not change the price on day one, but it changes what leaving costs.
The three common ways to pay
1. One-off build
You pay once, the designer hands over a finished site, and that is the end of the deal.
- Good for: owners who want one bill and are happy to manage the site themselves.
- Watch for: who hosts it, who fixes it when something breaks, and whether edits are billed by the hour. A site that nobody updates goes stale.
2. Monthly plan
You pay a smaller setup fee (sometimes none) and a monthly fee that covers hosting and upkeep.
- Good for: owners who want the site kept running without thinking about it.
- Watch for: the minimum term, how much notice you need to cancel, and what you take with you if you leave. Ask to see this in writing.
3. Do-it-yourself builder
You build the site yourself with an online tool and pay a subscription to the tool.
- Good for: owners with time who like tinkering.
- Watch for: your own hours. Building, writing and updating take time away from jobs. Ask yourself what an hour of your time is worth.
What we charge
Northeast Sites uses monthly plans, and we build your site first so you can see it before you pay anything. Here are our plans exactly as we state them:
| Starter | Standard | Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | $0 | $750 | $1,500 |
| Monthly | $129/month | $99/month | $149/month |
| Term | 12-month minimum | Cancel any month with 30 days’ notice | Cancel any month with 30 days’ notice |
| First-year total | $1,548 | $1,938 | $3,288 |
Every plan includes an animated site built from your real facts and reviews, click-to-call, a quote form that sends each request to your phone and email, an AI assistant that answers 24/7, hosting, 2 small edits a month and a monthly report. Premium adds a page for each service and each town you serve, photo direction and priority edits.
You own your domain and your content. If you leave, we hand over your content and point your domain wherever you want.
We do not promise a number of leads. We promise a site that works, a quote form that reaches you, an assistant that answers from your facts, and an honest report every month.
Questions to ask any web designer
- What is the total for the first year, including hosting and edits?
- Who owns the domain name and the content?
- What happens if I cancel? What do I get, and how fast?
- What does an edit cost, and how long does it take?
- Does the quote form send requests to my phone and email, and have you tested it?
- Can I see the site on my phone before I pay?
If a designer will not answer these in writing, that tells you something.
Next step
Compare quotes on the first-year total, not the headline number. Northeast Sites builds websites for contractors in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. If you would like to see what yours could look like, ask for a free demo.
Sources
- Northeast Sites, current plans and prices (October 2026).